Beyond The Process

Detail - Buchanan, 60x48, 2005


The dining room currently serves as a temporary gallery with the recent returnees propped around, each facing the center of the room. With sizes ranging from 36" square to 48x60, they more than dominate the space. I'm reminded again how little detail is available in my online digitals. Even the large resolutions in my files don't begin to show the work as it really is. So I spend time with each, getting reacquainted, rediscovering strengths and weaknesses of each. Shown here is an attempt at capturing a bit of detail from the painting, Buchanan... although you can make out the series of layers, the image still lacks a certain depth and textural quality.

I caress some... yes I do, don't laugh or jeer! I run my fingers across this area or that, feeling my heart lift due to a technique, a color change, a glazed bit of collage... something that I want to remember, something I'd forgotten about. I'm often tempted to make 'corrections' but experience tells me that it would lead to a total repainting and most don't require that. They'll be examined for paint chips or rubs, signs that they were sent out on approval but didn't make the cut... repairs will be made, they'll be good as new. They will be new! A whole new set of dynamics to explore. New faces, and hopefully, new appreciation. We'll see...

Silly me. But, you see, I am so far removed from my finished work that I forget how special each piece was in it's creation. Much ado is made by artists about the joy of the process, and I often sing the same song. But little is mentioned about the rest of the story... we artists seldom know what eventually becomes of the painting. The buyers name is sometimes given, but no contact, no viewing... I've no idea of the circumstance of most work that I've exchanged for money. Are they still loved after some years? Have they been shuffled out to make room for a new decor? Maybe a corporate employee took it home, or the kids inherited, maybe a consignment shop or garage sale... maybe stored under the bed or in a basement. I've been selling work since the mid 70's and I have often thought that when spirit leaves body, I might take a detour to revisit all those long forgotten works... but I don't know, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea. They are all loved and cared for, I'd best assume.